Bears Return Home to Host Rensselaer & #12 Union

This Weekend: In the midst of a stretch of 16 straight ECAC Hockey contests, Brown returns home this weekend to host Rensselaer and #12 Union. The weekend series will close out the regular season with the Capital District pair, as the Bears split games at Union (2-1) and RPI (0-1) in November. Brown, which jumped from 11th to 8th in the ECAC standings after last weekend's trip to the North Country, will look to continue its climb in the standings. With 10 points, the Bears sit one point behind sixth place (Yale & Clarkson) and two points behind fourth place (Colgate & Princeton). All children 12-and-under will be admitted free of charge for Friday's game, while youth hockey players will be admitted free of charge for Saturday's game.

This Date Historically Speaking: All-time, Brown is 7-7-0 in games played on January 20th, including a 3-3-0 record at home. Brown and RPI have played one other time on January 20th, a 3-1 RPI win at Brown in 2006. All-time, Brown is 3-4-1 in games played on January 21st, including a 3-1-1 in home games. Brown and Union have played one other time on January 21st, a 2-2 tie at Brown in 2006.

Last Time Out: The Bears picked up three points in their trip to the North Country, tying Clarkson, 2-2, on Saturday before earning a 4-1 win over St. Lawrence on Sunday, in games that were bumped by a day due to a winter storm and ensuing power outages in the area. Senior Bobby Farnham led Brown with 4 points (1g, 3a) in the two games, while junior Chris Zaires (2g against St. Lawrence), senior Jack Maclellan (1g, 1a) and freshman Matt Lorito (1g, 1a) all had multiple point weekends. Senior Jeff Buvinow (Clarkson) and freshman Ryan Jacobson (St. Lawrence) also scored over the weekend. For Maclellan and Lorito, it was their 8th and 7th consecutive games with a point, respectively, as they each had a point in both games. Maclellan's assist on Saturday was the 50th of his career, as he became the first Brown player since 2008 to post at least 50 career assists. Jacobson also hit a milestone, as the rookie scored his 8th goal of the year, moving into Brown's all-time top 10 for goals in a season by a freshman. Sophomore Marco De Filippo earned the tie on Saturday with 39 saves, matching his career-high, while senior Mike Clemente stopped 22 shots to post the win on Sunday.

Brown vs. Rensselaer: This weekend will mark the 83rd meeting between Brown and RPI, dating back to a 5-0 Brown win during the 1951-52 season. The Engineers currently lead the all-time series, 54-21-7, including a season sweep last year with a 6-2 win in Providence and a 3-0 win in Troy. RPI extended its winning streak over the Bears to three games with a 1-0 victory in November. The two teams split the regular season in 2009-10, with each team winning in its own rink. The Bears then faced RPI in the first round of the playoffs, eliminating the 6th-seeded Engineers in three games with wins in game #1 and game #3. The split during the regular season marked the first time in four seasons that Brown earned a win over RPI in the regular season, as the Engineers were 7-0-1 from January 2006 through February 2009, including sweeping the season in 2006, 2007, and 2009. Seniors Jack Maclellan (4g, 2a) and Bobby Farnham (2g, 4a) are Brown's statistical leaders against RPI with six points (2g, 4a) in 10 and nine career games, respectively. Classmate Jeff Buvinow has six points, all assists, in 10 career games against the Engineers.

Scouting Rensselaer: The Engineers enter Friday's game at Brown following a 5-1 loss on the road at Union, as RPI was 1-1 on the week following a 3-1 victory over AIC on Tuesday night. The Engineers are led by junior Nick Bailen, who has 14 points (4g, 10a) in 22 games, while sophomore Brock Higgs adds 12 points (1g, 11a) in 17 games. Freshman Ryan Haggerty leads the team with five goals and is third overall with nine points, while also leading RPI with five power play goals. Bailen leads the team with two game-winning goals. Junior Bryce Merriam has seen the majority of time in net and has earned a 2.66 GAA with a .901 save percentage in 15 games (3-12-0). Freshman Scott Diebold has played in seven games (1-5-1) and has a 2.85 GAA with a .899 save percentage.

Brown vs. Union: This weekend marks the 43rd meeting between Brown and Union, dating back to a 3-2 Union victory on December 30, 1989. The Bears hold a 20-12-10 series advantage over the Dutchmen, including an 8-5-5 record in the past 18 meetings. Union was 2-0-2 in the previous four games with Brown leading up to the first game this season in November, which Brown won, 2-1, on the strength of a pair of goals from senior Jack Maclellan and 24 saves from senior Mike Clemente. Since the 2008-09 season, when the current seniors were freshmen, Brown holds a 2-3-2 record. Senior Jack Maclellan is Brown's statistical leader against Union with 7-2-9 totals in seven career games, while senior Bobby Farnham has 2-1-3 totals in six career games.

Scouting Union: The Dutchmen enter Friday night's game at Yale riding a four-game unbeaten streak and a three-game winning streak, dating back to a 3-3 tie with Harvard on January 6th. Last weekend, Union defeated Harvard, 2-0, in a game played at Fenway Park on Friday night, and then defeated travel-partner RPI, 5-1, on Saturday night. The Dutchmen are led by senior Kelly Zajac, who has 26 points (5g, 21a) in 23 games, while junior Jeremy Welsh (16g, 5a) and sophomore Daniel Carr (11g, 10a) both have 21 points in 22 and 23 games, respectively. Four other players have already reached double digits in scoring, while an additional 17 players have posted at least one point. Sophomore Troy Grosenick has played the majority of time in net this season and has earned a 1.60 GAA with a .939 save percentage in 19 games (11-3-3). Freshman Colin Stevens has appeared in seven games (1-2-3) and has a 2.40 GAA and a .910 save percentage.